New Delhi, 23 August (H.S.):

The monsoon has once again intensified across several parts of the country, bringing a marked change in weather conditions from the plains to the hill states. Delhi-NCR and several parts of Uttar Pradesh have been receiving rain accompanied by strong winds since around 4:30 am on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange and yellow alerts for heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR and several states across northern and central India.

Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Gurugram and Faridabad in Haryana remained under a thick cloud cover. The weather department forecast spells of heavy rain accompanied by cool winds throughout the day in these areas. The rainfall is expected to bring a significant drop in temperatures and provide much-needed relief from the prevailing humid heat.

According to the IMD, 25 states and Union territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland, are likely to experience heavy rain and thunderstorms on Sunday.

In the plains, most districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are expected to receive torrential rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Besides Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana are also likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall.

The persistent rainfall has also intensified difficulties in the hill states. Several areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh face a heightened risk of landslides and soil subsidence due to continuous rain.

Falling rocks and debris have disrupted traffic at several locations along national highways and connecting roads, with some routes reportedly becoming completely blocked. As a result, hundreds of tourists and local residents have been stranded along affected routes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar